Friday, October 1, 2010

The inspiration for last night's dinner come from two places, some lovely, stinky Camembert that Ile de France sent us & some dried Black Mission figs from the CA Fig Advisory Board.* I thought they would be perfect paired together.
The results were, well, kind of mixed. Matt felt the figs weren't a great match for the other ingredients. I liked the flavors together but thought that the tart needed a little something else. Perhaps a little of another cheese like Parmesan. I would also maybe double the amount of onions I used.
The filling turned out really light, almost like a soufflé and made for a nice light dinner with a spinach salad. This is a combination I'd like to play with some more. I think using the puff pastry as more of a pizza style crust & topping it with the figs, onions & cheese alone would make for an amazing appetizer.

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a small skillet. Add the onions. Let the onions cook slowly until they are golden brown, stirring as needed, 30 - 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not allow to boil. Reduce heat to low & add the camembert. Stir until melted (if you left the rind on it may not melt completely). Let cool. Whisk in the thyme & beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Roll the puff pastry out slightly, until its just big enough to fit a buttered 9" pie pan. Lay in the pan & trim off any excess. Put in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove chilled pie crust. Cover the bottom of the pie pan with the figs & onions. Pour the cheese mixture over the top. Place in the center of the oven & bake for 30 minutes until the filling is puffy, set & golden brown.

Let sit a few minutes before cutting to serve.

Makes 1 9" pie

* Ile de France sent me some of their new French Camembert. It's beautiful, creamy, slightly stinky & perfect on a cracker or in a recipe. The CA Fig Advisory Board sent me an assortment of fresh & dried figs, these dried black mission figs were sticky & moist with tons of flavor. Neither company reimbursed me in any other way or required me to review their product.

It's a shame the flavours weren't quite right for you. I think you are quite right about the parmesan - it needs a saltier, intense punch. And maybe some slivers of proscuitto (because figs and proscuitto are just about my favourite things)